President Qiu Yong: The Mission of Universities in an Era of Innovation
Tsinghua University President Qiu Yong was invited by the Asia Society Hong Kong Center to deliver the keynote speech in the Ambassador Burton Levin Lecture Series on December 14, 2015.
His address, “The Mission of Universities in an Era of Innovation” attracted an audience of more than 180 Hong Kong elites from all walks of life. Tsinghua University Vice President and Provost Yang Bin also attended the event.
The President, who is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was the first Chinese speaker to address the series since its establishment in 1995; it was also the first speech at the series by a University President.
Qiu Yong was following in the footsteps of prominent speakers such as former US President George H W Bush, and former US Secretary of State James A Baker.
Other luminaries to address the lecture series include Jonathan D Spence, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University.
In the lecture, Qiu Yong shared his insights on several issues, including the evolution of the function of universities, the characteristics of the era of innovation, and the mission of universities in that era.
Qiu Yong said that an institution must first be aware of and accept its responsibility, have long-term aspirations, and years of maturity before it can consider such mission. A university is an organization of “longevity”, which attracts widespread attention, and has been assigned a specific mission ever since its birth.
He pointed out that different universities have different missions; the mission of universities is also evolving with the development of times. At the start of the history of higher education, universities at their inception only had a single function - teaching. With the rise of University of Berlin in Germany and a number of other research-focused universities, institutions began to focus on teaching and scientific research. Thereafter, the University of Wisconsin, U.S.A., took the lead in the third function of the university - social service. In the 20th century, a world-famous educational reformer, University of California President Clark Kerr, in a book called “The Uses of The University” proposed the concept of "Multiversity", to emphasize the diversification of function, philosophy and objectives of universities, noting that universities should involve multiple disciplines and even multiple communities. This concept has had a profound impact in the world of higher education.
Also, human understanding of the university has reached a consensus in at least several areas. As a country’s influence reaches a certain level, it will seek for the development of its higher academic institutions. In turn, high-end academic institutions also will promote the influence and development of the country. At the same time, the rise of an ethnicity and a country is often associated with its great universities. Education and society are closely linked. The quality of education, especially university education and the level of civilization and social life of the country, are directly related. The role of the university has become more and more widely accepted, and with the advent of the knowledge economy era, the status of the university as social center has become increasingly obvious.
Qiu Yong also noted that the 21st century is an era of innovation. The activities of innovation have become more universal; the speed of innovation has been accelerated and more application has been realized as the result of innovation. Technology has profoundly reshaped people‘s everyday lives and society as a whole, while at the same time bringing about severe problems in environment, energy and ecology. Humanity must grasp the essence of innovation and ponder on these issues if we are to solve the problems and challenges which are facing us today.
Qiu Yong pointed out five important aspects of the Innovative era. Firstly, innovation is ubiquitous. It is no longer a privilege of a minority group of people or a few developed regions. The forms of innovation have also been largely diversified.
Secondly, the university is a major force of promoting regional innovation. Innovation enjoys a characteristic of locality and is subject to combined effect. The university must demonstrate its own uniqueness and take initiatives to integrate with local cultures, and ultimately promote regional innovation.
Thirdly, the overlapping, especially the overlapping of disciplines is a signature of the era of innovation, which offers unlimited opportunities for future innovation. The university has unparalleled advantages in terms of interdisciplinary studies, which provides the richest, and the most fertile soil for the development of innovative thinking and innovative activities.
Fourthly, innovation and entrepreneurship have a deeply entwined relationship, a trend that has begun to bridge the gap between university and alumni, university and society and university and industry. It has brought opportunities as well as challenges to universities. We must promote entrepreneurship based on technological innovation in the social trends of innovation and entrepreneurship.
At the same time, we must foster the ideals of innovation and entrepreneurship and allow students to understand them while providing them with the knowledge, bravery and strength to make it in a tough industrial environment. Universities have to promote the integration with local economic construction and attempt to form systems which will breed technological innovation.
Finally, innovation is characterized by globalization. During this era of innovation, the boundaries of the university are not limited to the campus, nor limited to any country borders. Universities have to become a universal structure and platform for the effective promotion of the globalization process and the global exchange of ideas and communication.
Based on the above - an analysis of the characteristics of the era of innovation - the university is not only at the center of society; it will also play a role as the engine. But we cannot thus merely put forward the university’s mission in an era of innovation. The university cannot simply just pursue technological innovation, but there must also be humanistic care and social responsibility; at the same time, universities should maintain their own traditions and cultures, to provide a foundation for the growth of young people.
Qiu Yong put forward four keywords of the University's mission, which included truth, dream, innovation and leading.
The university should adhere to the pursuit of truth, as a long term goal, guarding the lighthouse and the human spiritual home.
Universities have a dream; dream is also the premise of innovation. Universities should not only teach students to dream, but also encourage them to stick to their dreams, and help students to gain the ability to realize their dreams.
People need to have the ability to innovate. Universities should reform the curriculum and disciplines, and update educational philosophies and school systems, to pave the way for the cultivation of innovative talents, and actively promote a globalization strategy, to encourage students to develop creative thinking in a multi-cultural context. Also, the spirit of innovation, also means that universities have to keep to their own unique philosophy, form an educational ideology that is consistent with the environment of the educated, and foster unique qualities of talent, thus completing the mission of the university.
During this era of innovation, the university should not passively blend in with society, but rather its role is to take the initiative to use advanced technology and ideas to promote social development, and to effectively be the engine driver. Different universities in different countries have their own perception of what it means to lead. China is currently in a rapid rise and developmental stage. This special historical period will confer a new mission onto China's universities. Tsinghua University and other Chinese universities all shoulder this responsibility, providing valuable thoughts for social transformation, sending China’s voice out to the world.
“The university as an institution was born in the year 1088; 2088 will be the millennial anniversary of the world's universities. What the scenario will be like then is worth looking forward to,” said Qiu Yong.
The Asia Society Hong Kong Center, which was established in 1990, is a leading educational organization dedicated to fostering partnerships and understanding among Asia-US peoples, leaders and institutions around the world.
